Saturday, August 23, 2008

Do Unto Others...

There is a game called the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon which is based on the theory that any actor or actress can be linked to Kevin Bacon, usually within six degrees (or six connections). There is also a theory that almost anyone in the world can be linked to anyone else in the world by six or seven degrees. We don't know if that's true or just a fun game, but it does make us think about the people who come and go in our lives, regardless of how short or long, or how functional or dysfunctional, the relationship is. They all leave their mark and that mark reverberates through our other relationships. And, usually, that reverberation comes back to us.

It's the little things we do that matter -- the brief moments of consideration we have for others. It's doing things for others that we wish would be done for us. Some people won't know that you thought of them, or that you did something kind, even though a kind act directly affects them. They won't know to be grateful that you moved a nail off the side of the road, but they will know that they have a flat tire if the nail is still in the road.

One of the acts of consideration that we appreciate is not having a shopping cart in the store parking space in which we want to park. Of course, we don't park and consciously think how grateful we are that no one left a shopping cart in the spot. But we do have disgruntled feelings when we attempt to pull into a parking space and find our path hindered by a shopping cart.

Every Saturday we go to lunch and then shopping for Sunday dinner ingredients. Today while walking into the store, we noticed several shopping carts abandoned wherever was convenient for the last shopper. Some carts were left in empty parking spaces, and some were left in between parked cars. Several carts were left within a few yards of the cart corral. Have we become so lazy that we can't walk a few feet to put away a shopping cart? If we consider that we might have no more than six degrees of separation from each other and that our actions reverberate, then how will that one action affect you later on? Will it be your neighbor, your sister, or your mother who will be inconvenienced by the shopping cart in her way? Will you be held up at your next appointment because the person who is supposed to help you had to take an extra minute to find another place to park when she stopped to run a quick errand at the store? It wasn't just one misplaced cart we saw today; it was several. Several people were inconvenienced today because several people before them were inconsiderate.

On another note, lunch today was very good. El Jefe’s did not disappoint. They have the best chips in town, and the service was excellent. We ordered two appetizers and shared them. The El Jefe’s on Stephanie closed down; we hope the restaurant on Eastern Avenue doesn’t suffer the same fate.